TravelPod Member ReviewsRoom With a View Apartments Reykjavík

“ My favourite place to stay in Iceland ”

Reviewed Feb 27, 2013

by patches_mcgee (8 reviews) Sydney , Australia

You can't beat Room With a View for convenience - both in location and in services and amenities provided. This is my third time staying and I wouldn't stay anywhere else! What I like best about it is that it has a range of rooms to suit different budgets - from small rooms with detached (but exclusive) bathrooms to full on suites at the top. It's location on the main street makes it a perfect base for staying in the city but also for excursions out of town. The rooms at the front do get a little noisy on Thurs-Sat night with Reykjaviks notorious nightlight - the best solution for that is to join in the fun!

This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.

“ Total Convenience and Comfort ”

Reviewed May 1, 2008

by cwilkie (5 reviews) Minneapolis, MN , United States

This was a fantastic arrangement. We found the proprietor on the sidewalk and he escorted us to our apartment. What a treat, to stay in a fully furnished apartment in the center of Reykjavik! And what a great idea, too! My wife and I were thrilled with the space.

We availed ourselves of the kitchen, certainly, taking some pleasure in doing a little grocery shopping at Bónus, cooking for ourselves a little bit. The endless hot water in the shower that comes from geothermal energy is a miracle. As hot as you want it, as long as you want it: it was hard to convince my wife to get out of the shower and see the town.

The location of Room With a View is fantastic: it's right in the center of the residential and shopping district. Everything in Reykjavik is within walking distance, of course, but staying here cut the travel time in half, since we were in the epicenter. And at the end of the night, after touring the countryside or wandering around downtown, it was lovely to retire to an attractive apartment instead of some generic, soulless hotel room.

Resting After a Long Day

Reykjavík, Iceland

Morning Preparations

Silfra, Iceland

Our Little Kitchenette

Reykjavík, Iceland

This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.

Historical Traveler Reviews Room With a View Apartments Reykjavík

Fantastic Place to Stay!

from anonymous

This place is fantastic. I read the great reviews and decided to book it straight away. So glad I did! The apartments have so much space and the bed is so soft and comfy. We stayed on the top floor and you can see all the way to the ocean.

We caught the late flight, which was delayed and didnt get to the apartments till 3am. Our host Arni was great, he waited for us to turn up and was there to let us in. Couldn't believe how easy everything was.

You should definitely stay here as it is on the main shopping street with the popular bars and restaurants within 5 mins walk. All the tour operators are familiar with the apartments as well so you dont have to worry about them not finding you. Iceland is by far the most beautiful place we've been to, and is highly recommended!

Loved RWAV

from edb

We had a great trip to iceland this last week. I will attempt to post a longer review on our trip in general. However, RWAV was perfect. We were a little scared with the taxi dropped us off from the bus station. As the apartments dont look like much from the outside. But once we got inside, and up the small, yet very functionable elevator, we were so happy with our choice. We were in apartment 601. The extra modern, very shiek decor was awesome, the bed was comfortable the view great, and the hot tub to die for. Plus, Arni really goes out of his way to be a great host. We were in essence, blizzard in one morning, when the wind and snow was howling, our golden circle tour was canceled. Arni showed up with pasteries from the bakery, and about 30 DVDs for us to watch. Really a nice touch. Further he took us to the bus station on our way out of town, so we save the 800 isk, and gave us a calender to boot. He was always willing to offer suggestions on where to eat or what to do, but not pushy when you decided to go a different direction. We talked to others who were staying in other places when we were out on tours, and exhanged glances at each other digital photos of our rooms, boy had we picked a great place. Everyone else was upset with their choices and wanted to switch with us. Plus the location, wow. the best street in town, shopping and food within 30 seconds. I have been told that the noise on the weekends is the only downside, but since we were there M-F it didnt matter to us, but probably something you might want to consider. I have nothing but the best to say about Iceland and RWAV. Go, and stay with Arni you won't be disappointed.

Great apartment, but would suggest paying in cash...

from anonymous

My husband & I (like all of the other reviewers) were greeted by Arni incredibly late at night/early in the AM - our flight from the UK arrived at 11:30 PM so we didn't get to the apartment until close to 2 AM.

Our apartment (510) was lovely. Our bed was superlatively comfortable, our lounge/living room was excellent. The view from the balcony was amazing - along with jacuzzi access, but we never had time to use it. Our kitchen was fine, but when we arrived there was moulding bread in the pot & pan cupboard & coffee left in the coffee pot along with the used filter - ick! Not big deals, but minor to spot before a new guest arrives. Also, in our bedroom the overhead lightbulb was burnt out, so it was a bit dark in there (especially since we really only had about 4 hours of daylight per day). I mentioned it to Arni as we were leaving & he said he'd tend to it.

But our main issue was what we got charged... The rate on the internet stated $140 (USD) for our apartment per night. When we went to leave he indicated $145 (USD) per night. Some may say, what's $5 extra per night? But I disagree with quoting one amount then charging another, irrespective of how slight the difference. Then, what was even more unnerving was the fact that to convert the amount Arni charged "the rate at which dollars are bought" at 68 ISK per USD. Well, guess what? Per Bloomberg & even 2 of the Iceland banks we checked, they BUY USD at 60 ISK & SELL USD at 64 ISK. So, by charging us that increased conversion rate, it then added about 10% to our overall bill (in addition to the extra $20 mentioned above). All in all, it worked out to about $160 USD per night or Ł82 GBP per night which was a bit higher than what we'd expected (the $140 USD per night on the web). When my husband mentioned to Arni that he may want to clearly outline that the USD will be converted into ISK on the website, he got unpleasantly defensive. So, I guess, we felt a bit disappointed. That's why I'd suggest paying in cash, because Arni will happily accept USD currency. However, we didn't have that much American cash on us so we had to pay by credit card & thus got stung by the inflated conversion rate.

Anyway, the apartments are perfectly located. I would definitely suggest to others to go to the Bonus supermarket (turn right out of the apartment front doors & head down 'til you see it on the opposite side of the street) instead of the 10-11 (10-11 is like 7-11, not really where you'd want to grocery shop). As with ALL food in Iceland, it's pricey because most of it is imported. But if you don't feel like cooking one night & don't want to go far, the Indokina restaurant right across the street from the apartments had an amazing Fish in Sesame Sauce dish!

Next time we stay in Iceland we may not choose Room With A View just to try something new (& because of our unease about the final charge), but it is definitely nice & a lovely place if you're not worried about accommodation outlays.

So good it should be a secret!

from anonymous

I'd heard about this place on a previous trip to Iceland, then stayed there earlier this year. What a great find! Incredibly located, at a fantastic price - my small studio was squeaky clean, the bed incredibly comfy, and I even had a tiny balcony with a table and chairs. Arni was downstairs to meet me even though my flight from LHR arrived at Keflavik at 2300, and the Flybus didn't get to the apartment until 0030. The location is brilliant - no more than a five minute walk to the Laekertorg bus station, six minutes to the 10-11 (for groceries), ten minute walk to the nearest pool - it's a real gem.

Great Property

from anonymous

Room with a view was a great place to stay. We stayed in room 602 and it was very nice. Everything is close and we will certainly stay here again. The view from the balcony was wonderful. This property is certainly a bargain compared to what we paid for other items.

Spotless modern apartment-centre of Reykjavik. Fantastic!!

from ryanpiller

This place is the best and an absolute bargain! We stayed 4 nights in the studio apartment (403), paying only $99 USD per night (even cheaper in the winter months.)

As anyone who is reading this would know - Iceland is hideously expensive so we wondered what we were in for with Room With A View but it was all wonderful!

Arnie did not mind that we arrived late ("11pm is not late. If you had arrived at 2am - that would be late") and when he first took us to our room, I thought we were visiting his apartment. No - it was our apartment!!

Having cooking facilities was excellent as it saved on costs. There is a convenience store down the hill a few blocks but if you are prepared to walk up the hill for about 6 blocks - there is a Bonus Supermarket which has a larger variety and is a bit cheaper. Note** - it closes at 6pm.

I would recommend this place to anyone - even the fussiest traveller will be happy.

Reykjavik's best kept secret

from anonymous

We stayed at Room with a View for 3 nights and it was great! Arni was a great host, full of suggestions of places to visit and restaurants to try. He also organized the bus shuttle for us to the airport. The location of the apartments is fantastic. Right in the heart of downtown, and minutes away from everything.

We were able to get into our room right away when we arrived early from North America. The room was clean and well furnished. We had everything we needed in the room. The price is unbeatable! It's cheaper than a hotel and you get a lot more space than a tiny hotel room. And best of all? Free internet in the apartment!!! I will definitely stay at Room with a View again.

Superlative accomodations!

from Scorpiobehr

Reykjaviks best kept secret wont be a secret for long....A very comfortable, well appointed B & B in the center of downtown Reykjavik with stylish comfy rooms and as the name implies a room with an incredible view! I had a room on the 6th fl with a beautiful balcony and hot tub overlooking the downtown and Faxa harbor.Centrally located with in walking distance to most shops and restauraunts and next door to Reykjaviks best restauraunt , the Vegamot, this surprising upscale hotel has friendly service, great rooms and excellent value while staying in Iceland..Smaller in size than others, but big in value this inn is a must when staying in Iceland!

Best bargain in Iceland!

from emc113

Location, location, location! Great area - I thought downtown was going to be out of the action but this is where everything is - all the bars are within a 10 minute walk at the most and there are some good restaurants as well; the tourist office is 5 minutes away too.

You certainly get value for money - the facilities in-room were unexpected: tv, video, dvd player, cd player. The mini-kitchen was fully equipped. We even had a supply of filter coffee! The room was well decorated and I got some great pictures of the sunrise from our balcony.

I don't understand how we got so much for our money when compared to other hotels, but whatever the reason, I am thankful!

Iceland accomodations

from amillr

I was very hesitant about staying in an apartment in downtown but since it is very hard to find 1 hotel room for 4 people we chose an apartment. Well, these apartments were not only in a GREAT location in Reykjavik the man who owned the apartments "Arni" went out of his way to be helpful. He arranged a taxi from the airport to his place, made sure we had someplace to hang out hats until our apartment was clean and ready(we stayed in another apartment for a few hours so we could rest). The list goes on and on. And, this apartment was HUGE. Two bedrooms, a great view of the water, right in downtown with a full kitchen if you decided to cook. Now normally downtown Reykjavik is very very quiet but we just happened to be there for Reykjavik cultural night (celebrates their independence from Denmark) and the streets were wild. It is one of the biggest holidays there with bands playing all over the town, things for the kids to do. And it's right after the Reykjavik marathon. Even though that night was noisy we had one of the best views of the fireworks we've ever seen. They were spectacualr. Considering everything else in Iceland is very expensive these apartments are the best buy around!

TripAdvisor Reviews Room With a View Apartments Reykjavík

Excellent

Travel Blogs from Reykjavík

I wrote in "Wednesday, technically" because we've lost some time, flying westward. After a very long flight we touched down in Keflavik Int'l Airport, a daub of architecture in the middle of a broad field of volcanic rock and tough, stubborn grass. Immediately I was impressed with how clean and efficient the structure looked, inside and out, like a …

... br> Outside the museum there was a memorial to sailors to reflect how hazardous their job was. They showed this with a map of Iceland showing where the ships had been sunk. A list down the side of the map gave the nationality of the ship and how it was lost (fire, iceberg, ran aground, etc. etc.). There have been hundreds of ships lost off the coast. One of the maps showed the amount of shipping lost to the Germans during ...

... volcano Helka (also known as "the entrance to hell") erupts every 10-12 years. Needless to say we were a bit spooked to hear that they are expecting another eruption imminently. The views were spectacular, hopefully our pictures can do these places justice. Doubtful, but we tried our hardest. Lauren spent part of the day concerned about the time of our flights, thankfully we returned back to our hotel ...